The men’s basketball team could not keep up with the first place University of California, San Diego Tritons, as they lost 77-57.
Saturday’s game was no ordinary one for the Jacks, though, as it marked the last home game for each of the team’s seniors, who were honored at Senior Night in the Lumberjack Arena.
The game marks a big milestone for all of the seniors, but specifically for locals Will Taylor and Ashton Pomrehn who started their Lumberjack careers as ball boys at an early age.
“We were playing for the seniors,” head coach Steve Kinder said. “I thought that carried us through, and made the fans and their teammates proud.”
Humboldt State was led by senior Davasyia Hagger, who had 14 points along with nine rebounds, while shooting 7-14 from the field. Those 14 points included a pair of dunks in the second half of the game that caused an eruption from the fans in the arena.
“The effort was there,” Hagger said. “We’re gonna learn from this and battle back these next two games.”
Another notable performance came from senior Justin Everett, who tallied 14 points, six rebounds and two blocks.
“I was just out there getting my shots,” Everett said. “My teammates did a good job getting me open.”
The Tritons were firing on all cylinders throughout the game, as they made 11 three-pointers on 30 shots (36.7 percent) opposed to only five made from the Jacks. Christian Bayne was a problem for the Jacks all game, as he led UCSD with 24 points, while shooting 8-11 from the field. Bayne also made his presence felt on defense, as he also had two steals and a block.
“We think of [Bayne] as one of the better players in the conference,” Kinder said. “He’s a heck of a basketball player and has a great future ahead of him.”
Aside from Bayne, other notable performers where Scott Everman (16 points) and Christian Oshita (14 points).
San Diego played stingy defense all game as well, accumulating nine steals while forcing 13 turnovers.
The loss is Humboldt’s second in a row, and moves their overall record to 9-17 (6-14 conference), while San Diego improves to 17-9 (14-6 conference). The Jacks will look to bounce back before the California Collegiate Athletic Association tournament begins on Feb. 27, and will have two games to do so.
Their next game will be on the road against Sonoma State University on Feb. 23 at 7:30 p.m. They will then close out the regular season on Feb. 24 at San Francisco State University.
The Humboldt State University women’s basketball team fell short of a comeback after a slow start in the first half, as they fell to University of California, San Diego by the score of 77-62.
This was the last home game of the regular season for the Lumberjacks, making it Senior Night at the Lumberjack Arena.
“This is a really special group to me,” head coach Michelle Bento-Jackson said. “To see the seniors honor their careers here is special.”
The Jacks shot only 26.9% (7-26) from the field and were outscored 42-20 during the first half.
On the other hand, the Tritons were hot from the field in the first half, as they made five of their first seven three-point attempts and put up 42 points before halftime.
San Diego was led by Mikayla Williams (19 points, eight rebounds), Kayla Sato (17 points, seven rebounds, five assists) and Dalayna Sampton (16 points, 10 rebounds).
However, the Jacks did battle back in the second half. At one point, they had the lead down to as little as 10 points during the third and fourth quarters.
“We dug a huge hole for ourselves (in the first half) that we just couldn’t quite get all the way out of,” Bento-Jackson said.
Tyla Turner led the team’s late run by scoring 24 of her team’s 42 points in the second half. The sophomore standout followed up her career high 32-point performance from her last game with 29 points in addition to eight rebounds, four assists and three steals in this one.
“My team had my back, and that’s really what got me going,” Turner said. “I had to do it for them, and that’s why I had to turn it up.”
Once Turner turned it up, her teammates responded. The team shot 15-29 (51.7 percent), while shooting 8-12 (66.7 percent) from beyond the arc. Jovanah Arrington was the most notable contributor, as she had 13 points while shooting 3-5 from three (3-4 in the second half).
“I knew we had to catch up, and making threes is the quickest way to do that,” Arrington said.
With regards to their upcoming schedule, coach Bento-Jackson had a clear message for her team.
“We absolutely have to put this behind us. The bottom line is–going into that conference tournament–we want to be playing our best basketball,” Bento-Jackson said.
The loss moves the Jacks’ record to 14-11 overall, with a 13-7 conference record. For San Diego, the win moves the team’s record to 23-3, with a dominant 19-1 record within the California Collegiate Athletic Association.
They will have two games remaining before the conference tournament begins, HSU will play Sonoma State University on Feb. 23 and San Francisco State University on Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m..
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